3.5 lakh flood victims taking shelter in flood-hit Bihar

Published: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 20:05 [IST]

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Patna, Sep 18 (UNI) With a view to providing essential facilities and comforts at Mega relief camps in the flood-ravaged areas of North Bihar, where 3.5 lakh flood victims had taken shelter, the state government has taken suitable steps to ensure availability of medical aid for ailing flood victims.

Principal Secretary of the State Disaster Management department R K Singh told reporters here that the state government had pressed 1933 boats including 460 motor boats into service to carry out rescue and relief operation.

'' 331 relief centres and 229 medical camps are working round the clock to provide succour to 3.52 lakh flood victims taking shelter there, '' he said adding 9.89 lakh people had been shifted to safer places.

With the arrangemets for relief camps becoming stabilised and most of the flood victims had been evacuated, the process of distribution of food grains and cash assistance among flood victims had been initiated, Mr Singh said adding one quitnal of food grains and Rs 250 would be given to each victim family.

Mr Singh said the Centre had provided 1.25 lakh ton of foodgrains to the Bihar government for distribution among flood victims and added that the state government would request the Central government for more food grains if required.

He said the special drive of vaccination had been launched in the flood-hit districts to ensure the prevention of outbreak of any epidemic in the area. '' The special attention is being given to check the spread of water-borne diseases, including diarrhoea, '' he said adding about 1100 cases of diarrhoea had been treated successfully in the area so far.

Mr Singh said 2458 quintal of fodder had been distributed in the flood-hit areas so far and fund had been released to the concerned districts to purchase at local level for accelerated distribution at specially erected cattle camps in the flood-ravaged areas.